|
Paul I don't think your idea is crazy, just expensive. It should work in theory, but don't forget that sigma octans is not exactly on the pole anyway.
Where I am I have a large pine tree blocking a significant part of my southern sky such that I can not view any further south than about -70 dec. I wish I had a laser powerful enough to take out that pine tree, but I don't. So this is what I did.... first I did a 'goto' to the moon (about 1st quarter). I was probably about 10 deg or so out. I then moved the mount (pier and all)till the moon was in the EP. Then I parked the mount and did a 1 star alignment, and again moved the mount east/west and up/down till the alignment star was in the EP. The mount movements were of course mechanical movements; not using the RA or Dec motors. From that point I drift aligned till I had no drift.
Granted this method is not orthodox, but it works, and it does not rely on the SCP being visible from the place where the mount is placed. I should point out that my mount is set on a permanant pier, and therefore a different case to a portable setup. You might consider mounting a laser on your nexstar and after getting close to polar aligned, park the scope and use the laser to spot a point somewhere in your yard and take steps to be able to place your tripod close to the same place each night, then with your scope in park use the laser to position the mount to place the laser dot where your mark is and then quickly drift align. The more care you take initially, the less time will be wasted in susequent setups. Make sure your tripod is level (before the scope is placed on it. don't set up on bare ground. avoid changing the height of the tripod.
|